Great post on Weelunk about Wheeling residents who have gone solar. Community leader Mary Ellen Cassidy and her husband gave each other solar panels as an anniversary gift.
Cassidy soon became a solar advocate and believes third-party financing through power purchase agreements (PPAs) is critical to bring for on-site renewable energy to West Virginia’s nonprofits, churches, and schools.
PPAs are illegal in WV. What’s getting in the way of #PPAs4WV? Politics, Cassidy says.
FirstEnergy continues to put West Virginia taxpayers on the hook for its failing business model. This B&O tax bailout was not the first, nor will it be the last, time FirstEnergy has asked for a government handout. When will these corporate giveaways end?
The 40-year-old Pleasants Power Station can no longer compete in a 21st-century energy marketplace. Over $12 million a year in avoided B&O tax payments falls far short of offsetting its future losses and remains a bad deal for West Virginians. Sadly, the State Legislature has capitulated to FirstEnergy's demands.
West Virginia needs to be looking forward, not propping up old power plants that can no longer compete on their own merits. West Virginians for Energy Freedom sees this for what it is: the latest in a series of rent-seeking behaviors from a bankrupt Ohio-based company.
PHOTOS BY ROGER MAY
These people are some of the West Virginia residents who spoke out against FirstEnergy's bid for corporate welfare at the PSC's Public Hearings in Parkersburg, Martinsburg and Morgantown. More than 100 people spoke at the Public Comment Hearings. Of those, 71 opposed FirstEnergy's bailout attempt.
West Virginians For Energy Freedom is a coalition of your neighbors, organizations in your community, local businesses, municipalities and elected officials advocating for energy freedom in West Virginia.
Here's a summary of our advocacy for West Virginians and energy freedom during FirstEnergy's case before the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. More than 2,500 letters of protest and petitions against FirstEnergy were posted to the PSC docket. Only 51 letters of support were registered.
Our current campaign: Legalizing power purchase agreements for on-site renewable energy sources during the next full session of the legislature.
Solar panels arriving in Fayette County. Photo by Colleen Laffey for West Virginia Public Radio.
Renewable energy recently generated more electricity than coal, and federal energy officials expect more of the same. Many states are poised to benefit from the surge in renewable energy, but not West Virginia.
Jamie Van Nostrand, a law professor and head of WVU Law Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, says West Virginia hasn’t kept up with policy changes, including Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
“All the other states are taking advantage of both the low electricity rates, and the jobs that go along with clean energy. …And we are totally missing that in West Virginia,” said Jamie Van Nostrand in an interview with West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Listen to the full West Virginia Public Broadcasting report by Brittany Patterson. Then take a few minute so email your lawmakers to keep PPAs on their radar for the next full session.
Engineer Allan Tweddle cites several examples of why legalizing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) would be a “win” for West Virginia in an Op/Ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail (June 13, 2019). Here’s an excerpt:
With a PPA in place, homeowners, shopping centers, religious buildings and educational buildings could more rapidly be powered by roof- mounted solar power systems. The solar industry in West Virginia would grow faster, creating good-paying jobs for displaced coal miners.
Read the full Op/Ed here and leave a comment on the piece if you’re so inclined.
The West Virginia legislature will get another chance in 2020 to legalize PPAs for on-site renewable and alternative energy generation facilities in West Virginia. It’s pro-business, pro-jobs and good for the average resident. Sign up below to get occasional updates on our plans for the next session.
Click on image to view report
On May 10, CBS News featured a 24-minute CBS News Orginials report on the fight for green jobs in West Virginia.
About 9 minutes into the report, Doyle Tenney of DT Solar cites Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) as a way to increase the use of renewables in West Virginia.
DT Solar is a member of West Virginians For Energy Freedom coalition.
Join our #PPAs4WV campaign today!
In a recent WV News analysis of West Virginia’s power generation, a state Office of Energy official said legalizing power purchase agreements (PPAs) would encourage more diversity, especially in the solar sector.
Coal remains West Virginia’s primary source of energy, but experts agree generation must change to be competitive with other states and to meet the growing number of corporations moving to using only renewables such as solar.
Kelly Bragg, energy development specialist with the West Virginia Office of Energy, believes third-party PPAs are one way WV could diversify its power generation sector and attract new electricity users and economic investment. Here’s an excerpt from the April 13 WV News story:
Kelly Bragg
Although coal still dominates the state’s energy generation interest in renewable sources of energy are increasing, Bragg said.
“I think we’re moving in a diverse direction. There’s a lot of support for new projects,” she said.
The state is particularly lacking in utility-scale solar energy projects, Bragg said. “We are the only one of 11 states in the northeast region that does not have a single utility-scale solar project,” she said. “That is a number that I would certainly like to see changed.”
There are several steps the state could take to encourage more solar activity, Bragg said.
One is called a Third-Party Power Purchase Agreement, which makes it more attractive for property owners to install solar panels on their homes or commercial buildings, Bragg said.
“Basically it allows people to pay a smaller monthly fee for their solar system, as opposed to coming up with the full amount up front,” she said. “It’s a contractual relationship between the building owner and the solar installer which currently is not allowed here.”
Read the full WV News report by Charles Young and leave a comment to show your support for PPAs.
West Virginians For Energy Freedom made headway during the last legislative session with the introduction of two bills that would legalize PPAs for on-site renewable and alternative energy generation facilities. While the bills stalled in committee, our campaign demonstrates that West Virginia homeowners, businesses, municipalities, schools, and nonprofits are eager to generate their own electricity and save money with renewable energy.
Want to get involved in our #PPAs4WV campaign? Here are three ways: